Page 63 of The Vampire King's Victory

“Comfortable?” Daemon asked.

“More than,” Julian said.

He looked at the lights of all of the palaces and the many other buildings in Nightvallen. They were all lit up and reminded him a bit of Chicago where the tops of the skyscrapers often looked like ancient Roman or Greek temples and were lit often starkly to show their sharp lines and soft curves. Julian’s forehead furrowed.

“This is all very modern, Daemon,” Julian called over.

“Hmmmm?”

“This pool. The hot tub. The loungers. I would say it looks like something I saw on television for a luxurious, rich person’s home,” Julian said. “This can’t be the original things you had here.”

“Oh, no, but the Ever Dark is always changing,” Daemon answered. “Like your things. It changes for who is here. Balthazar will find his home very changed. Caemorn will find his the same. Seeyr will likely incorporate some modern conveniences that either she experienced or Sophia will tell her. Fiona, well, I’m sure hers will be very modern.”

“Why won’t Caemorn’s have changed if everyone else's has?” Julian asked as he did some laps until he was nearly in themiddle of the pool. He could no longer even brush the bottom with his toes.

“Because Caemorn--or Kaly--wants to see things as theywereso they can understand them in situ,” Daemon answered.

The Vampire King was now just down to his pants. His bare toes bunched against the cool stone.

“He’s like an archeologist,” Julian laughed. “Of his own life!”

“It’s likely how he will try to rediscover himself. I, personally, hope that he does something different as well,” Daemon agreed.

The Vampire King watched as Julian dove under the water and surfaced like a porpoise. Julian slicked back his hair with one hand and grinned at his Master.

“You should come in! The water’s fine!” Julian enthused as he dove under once more, skimming the bottom with his belly. Not having to breathe was a complete plus.

He circled the entirety of the pool before he surfaced again. When he wiped the water out of his eyes Daemon was no longer on the lounge. His pants and the rest of his clothing were neatly piled, but there was no sign of the Vampire King. For one very silly moment, Julian panicked, but then his vampiric senses came online acutely.

His head jerked to the left. He looked into the water, but saw no one, certainly not a very large Daemon. Yet he heard a heartbeat coming from there and the whoosh of water being displaced.

The Helm gift!Julian realized, recognizing the gift of invisibility.

He grinned. So two could play at that game. The moment that he felt the brush of Daemon’s fingers on his ankles, Julian teleported to the other side of the pool. The water exploded where he had been as the vampire “shark” came up to grab its prey only to find it had escaped.

Glowing red eyes--which if he were honest were a little creepy--whipped towards him and he caught a glimpse of sharp, white teeth. Julian braced himself as those eyes disappeared and immediately appeared beside him. He let out a squeak--yes, itwasa squeak--as powerful arms encircled him. He tried to slip from them and dive into the water again but those arms tightened around him, trapping him against a powerful chest.

“Kiss first and then you can flee,” Daemon murmured into the cusp of his ear.

Julian grinned and turned his head to capture Daemon’s lips. He tasted of pool water and that certain something that was intrinsically him. His blood had that taste as well. It felt wrong to call it an umami taste, but it rather was. Deep and rich and incredibly delicious.

Their tongues tangled against one anothers. Julian moaned for a third time this night as their water-slick limbs brushed against one another and sharp fangs came out. Daemon pierced his own tongue so that some of his blood trickled into Julian’s mouth. That electrifying feeling the blood gave him coursed through his system as it coursed its way down his esophagus into his stomach. A warm glow, as if he had drunk a glass of whisky, filled his belly. He felt a little light headed and sloppy, but in a happy way.

Daemon reluctantly released him from the embrace and Julian only reluctantly pushed away so that they were a few feet apart. He had to get away from the bad predator after all.

The Vampire King cocked his head to the side as he regarded Julian’s movements. He was clearly looking to see which way Julian would strike out into the pool. Right? Left? Or back? Would Julian teleport or become invisible? Or maybe both? Julian chose both.

With a breath he leaped up into the air, gracefully arching backwards as if he intended to dive into the deeper part of thepool, but instead in mid-arc went invisible and then teleported right into the hot tub.

Problem was that he teleported five feetabovethe hot tub and so he fell in making a considerable splash. By the time he had surfaced, Daemon was lounging in the hot tub with him, arms stretched out along the top. He looked like he had been there ages and Julian wondered if he had used the Seeyr ability to know what Julian intended.

“You’re doing very well,” Daemon commented. “I was worried you wouldn’t take to teleporting. Some new Wyvern have found themselves stuck inside of walls or ceilings.”

“I just teleported into thin air. I could have teleported again when I landed in the water, but it’s so nice in here.” Julian tipped his head back as the superheated water and bubbles massaged his scalp.

“Ah, now I know how to lay a trap for my most delicious prey,” Daemon chuckled as he wound one leg around Julian’s waist and pulled Julian towards him.

He was between Daemon’s legs now. The soft flesh of Daemon’s inner thighs had Julian’s mouth watering. Daemon’s red eyes were hooded.

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